Journey has been eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 2000, but Gregg Rolie is the only current or former member of Journey who has been inducted — as a member of parent band Santana. Steve Perry, the band's best-known lead vocalist, has been eligible for induction as a solo artist since 2009.

Journey released their eponymousfirst album in 1975, and rhythm guitarist Tickner left the band before they cut their second album, Look into the Future (1976). Neither album achieved significant sales,[10] so Schon, Valory, and Dunbar took singing lessons in an attempt to add vocal harmonies to Rolie's lead. The following year's Next contained shorter tracks with more vocals, and featured Schon as lead singer on two of the songs.

New musical direction, 1977–80

Journey's album sales did not improve and Columbia Records requested that they change their musical style and add a frontman, with whom keyboardist Gregg Rolie could share lead vocal duties. The band hired Robert Fleischman and transitioned to a more popular style, akin to that of Foreigner and Boston. Journey went on tour with Fleischman in 1977 and together the new incarnation of the band wrote the hit "Wheel in the Sky." But fans were lukewarm to the change, and management differences resulted in Fleischman leaving within the year [5][11].

In the fall of 1977, Journey hired Steve Perry as their new lead singer. Perry added a clean, tenor sound and the band became a true pop act. Their fourth album, Infinity (1978), reached No. 21 on the album charts and gave the band their first RIAA-certified platinum album plus hit singles out of "Lights" (#68 U.S.) and "Wheel in the Sky".

Journey's new-found success brought the band an almost entirely new fan base. During the 1980 Departure world tour, the band recorded a live album, Captured. They also recorded the soundtrack to the film Dream After Dream while in Japan.

Exhausted from extensive touring, keyboardist Gregg Rolie now left a successful band for the second time in his career. Keyboardist Stevie "Keys" Roseman was brought in to record the lone studio track for Captured, "The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love),"[14] but Rolie recommended pianist Jonathan Cain of The Babys as the permanent replacement. With Cain's replacement of Rolie's Hammond B-3 organ with his own synthesizers, the band was poised for a new decade in which they would achieve their greatest musical success.[15]

Height of popularity, 1981–83

Escape album cover

Journey released their eighth and biggest-selling studio album, Escape, in 1981. The album, which has thus far sold nine times platinum, went to number one on the album charts that year, and included three top-ten hits: "Who's Cryin' Now", "Don't Stop Believin'", and "Open Arms". The latter is Journey's highest-charting single to date, staying at #2 for six consecutive weeks and ranking at #13 on Billboard's 1982 year-end Hot 100. MTV videotaped one of their two sold-out shows in Houston, Texas on November 6, 1981 in front of over 20,000 fans.[16]

This success was met with piqued criticism. The 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide gave each of the band's albums only one star, with Dave Marsh writing that "Journey was a dead end for San Francisco area rock." Marsh later would anoint Escape as one of the worst number-one albums of all time.

Journey's next album, 1983's Frontiers, continued their commercial success, reaching No. 2 on the album charts, selling nearly six million copies. The album generated four Top 40 hits, "Separate Ways," which reached #8, "Faithfully," which reached #12, "Send Her My Love", and "After the Fall", both of which reached #23. By this time Journey had become one of the top touring and recording bands in the world. During the subsequent stadium tour, the band contracted with NFL Films to record a video documentary of their life on the road, Frontiers and Beyond. Scenes from the documentary were shot at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than 80,000 fans in attendance.[8]

Break-up, 1984–94

After the widely successful Frontiers stadium tour, Journey decided to take some time off. Lead singer Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon both pursued solo projects between 1982 and 1985. In 1985 the band released two songs previously intended for Frontiers--Only the Young, on the soundtrack to the movie Vision Quest; and Ask the Lonely, on the soundtrack to the movie Two of a Kind. "Only the Young" reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. When Journey finally returned to record their 1986 album Raised on Radio, bass player Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith were fired from the band for musical and professional differences.[13][17] Studio musicians handled the two vacant slots, including future American Idol judge Randy Jackson and established session player Larrie Londin. The album went multiplatinum, selling over two million copies. It also produced four top 20 singles, "Be Good to Yourself" (#9), "I'll Be Alright Without You" (#14), "Girl Can't Help It ", and "Suzanne," both of which reached #17. The tour featured Jackson on bass and Mike Baird on drums, and was videotaped by MTV and made into a documentary, which included interviews with the current band members and concert footage of the Mountain Aire Festival show in Angels Camp, California.[citation needed] But with Perry unable or unwilling to remain actively involved, the band canceled the rest of the tour and went on an extended, indefinite hiatus in 1987.[18][19]

In 1988, Columbia records released Journey's greatest hits album, which remains the band's best-selling record. According to the RIAA it has sold 15 million copies in the United States to date. It continues to sell 500,000 to 1,000,000 copies per year, and as of December 2008 was the 6th best selling greatest hits package in the United States.[20]

In 1991, the band briefly reunited to perform 2 songs; "Faithfully" and "Lights" at the tribute concert for concert promoter Bill Graham. This would later turn out to be the final time Steve Perry would perform live with the band.

Reunion, 1995–97

Between 1987 and 1995, Columbia Records released three Journey compilations. In October 1993, Kevin Chalfant (of The Storm) performed with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain at a roast for manager Herbie Herbert.[21] After that, Schon, Cain, Valory, Smith and Rolie briefly considered reuniting the band with Chalfant as lead singer.[citation needed] But in 1995, Steve Perry agreed to a reunion on the condition that they seek new management. Herbie Herbert was fired, and Eagles Manager Irving Azoff was retained.[citation needed]

In 1995, Perry, Schon, Cain, Valory, and Smith reunited to record Trial by Fire. Released in 1996, the album included the hit single "When You Love a Woman", which reached #12 on the Billboard charts, ranked at #36 on Billboard's 1996 year-end Hot 100,[10] and was nominated in 1997 for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[22] The album also produced two top 40 mainstream rock tracks, "Message of Love" reaching #18 and "Can't Tame the Lion" reaching #33, and one top 40 hit, "If He Should Break Your Heart," at #38.[23]

Plans for a subsequent tour ended when Perry injured his hip hiking in Hawaii in the summer of 1997 and could not perform without hip replacement surgery — which he for some time refused to undergo. [24][25] In 1998, Schon and Cain decided to seek a new lead singer, at which point drummer Steve Smith left the band as well.[25]

Lead singer replaced, 1998–2006

In 1998, Journey hired drummer Deen Castronovo, Schon's and Cain's Bad English bandmate, and drummer for Hardline, to replace Steve Smith after he dropped out because Steve Perry had dropped out. Journey replaced Perry with Steve Augeri, formerly of Tyketto and Tall Stories.

That same year, Journey with Steve Augeri and Deen Castronovo recorded a track for the soundtrack to the movie Armageddon called "Remember Me." The band released their next studio album, Arrival, in Japan in late 2000 and in the United States in 2001. "All the Way" became a minor adult contemporary hit from the album. In 2002, the band released a four-track CD titled "Red 13," with an album cover design chosen through a fan contest. In 2005 the band was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Steve Perry surprised many attendees by showing up for the event. Also in 2005, Journey embarked on their 30th anniversary tour, and released their twelfth full-length studio album, Generations, in which each band member performed lead vocals on at least one song.

Lead singer replaced again, 2006–present

In July 2006, Steve Augeri was dropped from the band while they toured with Def Leppard, with the official statement citing a "chronic throat infection." Augeri had been suffering from vocal attrition problems since 2003 and Journey had been accused of using pre-recorded lead vocals.[26] The band hired singer Jeff Scott Soto from Talisman to fill in, and Soto officially replaced Augeri as Journey's lead singer in December 2006.[27] On June 12, 2007, the band announced that Soto was no longer the lead singer, and said that they were looking to move in a new direction.[28]

In December 2007, Journey hired Filipino singer Arnel Pineda of the cover band The Zoo after Neal Schon saw him on YouTube singing covers of Journey songs. Journey debuted their new lead singer in February 2008 in Chile,[29][30] and released the album Revelation that June. Revelation debuted at #5 on the Billboard charts, selling more than 196,000 units in its first two weeks and staying in the top 20 for 6 weeks.[31] Journey also found success on the billboard's adult contemporary chart where the single "After All These Years" spent over 23 weeks, peaking at number 9.[32] Receipts from that summer's tour, featuring Heart and Cheap Trick, made Journey one of the top grossing concert tours of the year, bringing in over $35,000,000.[33] And on December 18, 2008, Revelation was certified platinum by RIAA.[34][35] In 2008 and 2009, Journey recorded concert footage in preparation for a DVD release scheduled for December 2009, and Neal Schon announced that the band was spending 2009 working on a new album due out in 2010 and completing the second leg of the Revelation Tour.[36]

Although Pineda was not the first foreign national to become a member of Journey (former drummer Aynsley Dunbar is British) nor even the first non-white (former bass player Randy Jackson is African-American), the transition was difficult for a number of fans who expressed what Marin Independent Journal writer Paul Liberatore called "an undercurrent of racism." Keyboardist Jonathan Cain responded to such sentiments: "We've become a world band. We're international now. We're not about one color."[37]

In the 1982 movie TRON, the instrumental "1990s Theme" is played in the background of the arcade. The track "Only Solutions" is played during the end credits. The song "Separate Ways" will appear in the 2010 sequel, Tron Legacy, as well as appearing as the soundtrack in the Jim Carrey film Yes Man.[38]

The 1985 movie Vision Quest, uses the song "Only The Young". It is played during the end credits and appears on the film's soundtrack. The track was originally recorded for the Frontiers album but did not make the final cut. In 1987, the song "Be Good to Yourself" is played during the end credits of White Water Summer. The same year "Happy to Give" was used as a recurring romantic theme in The North Shore, it was also used during the end credits.

"Separate Ways" was used for the theme song and for the main character's ringtone (Jim Carrey) in the movie 'Yes Man'.

"Faithfully" from the "Frontiers" album appears in the movie Talladega Nights when characters Ricky Bobby and Susan are in the diner. "Faithfully" also appears in Uncle Buck starring John Candy.

The song "Ask The Lonely" was included in the movie and appeared on the soundtrack for 1982's "Two of A Kind" and the 1991 sequel "Just the Two of Us".

Television

In the season 4 episode of Family Guy entitled "Don't Make Me Over", Peter, Quagmire, Cleveland, and Joe sing "Don't Stop Believin'" with a karaoke machine. The airing of the episode coincided with a spike in iTunes online music sales for the song, placing it in the Top 10 most downloaded tracks for that week and the Top 25 for that month (August 2005). Since then it has remained highly downloaded and is among the most downloaded songs on iTunes.

A part a cappella cover of "Don't Stop Believin'" was featured as the closing musical performance in the pilot episode of the Fox musical comedy television series Glee. It was released on iTunes immediately after the broadcast, becoming the week's top downloaded single.

In the 8th season of The Simpsons the end of the episode entitled Burns, Baby Burns features the song "Any Way You Want It" as the entire town begins to party in the street in a similar manner to that of the end of the movie Caddyshack.

Former Journey bass player Randy Jackson served as judge on American Idol from 2001 to the present. Photographs and film clips of Jackson with the band have appeared on the show, and various Idol contestants have competed singing Journey numbers, including Clay Aiken's take on "Open Arms" in a key semifinal round of season 2 and Elliott Yamin's performance of the same song in the 2006 semifinal round. Aiken later sang "Open Arms" with fellow IdolKelly Clarkson on their joint concert tour. In a season 8 episode, the final contestants performed Don't Stop Believin'.

In drama series The O.C., main character Ryan's favorite band is said to be Journey and the song "Separate Ways, Worlds Apart" is featured as a result of this in one of the episodes during the show's first season.

Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" was also used in the eagerly awaited ending of multi-award winning HBO television series The Sopranos. The use of the song sparked mass downloading on iTunes.

The song "Wheel in the Sky" is featured in the popular series Supernatural.

Many Journey songs have been featured in cop show Cold Case: "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" in season 1, episode 20 ("Greed," a.k.a. "Greed is Good"); "Only The Young" in season 2, episode 9 ("Mind Hunters"); "Don't Stop Believin'" in season 2, episode 17 ("Schadenfreude"); Open Arms in season 4, episode 4 ("Baby Blues"); and "Who's Crying Now?" in season 6, episode 6 ("The Dealer").

Literature

Sports

The song "Don't Stop Believin'" is a popular anthem used frequently at sporting events and venues. It was used by the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox (Perry was invited to the celebration parade in Chicago, where he sang the song with members of the team),[citation needed] and by the Minnesota Twins, who used the karaoke version of "Don't Stop Believin'" periodically during the 7th inning stretch[citation needed], similarly at Detroit Red Wings games the DJ will play lines from the song "Don't Stop Believin'", where will cut out the music prior to the lyric, "Born and Raised in South Detroit" and the crowd will sing along to it. In 2008, during a tight battle for First Place with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West, the Los Angeles Dodgers began to play "Don't Stop Believin'" in the middle of the 8th inning at all of their home games.[citation needed] Outside of the US, the song has also been used as the anthem of the Waterfordhurling team in the Irish sport of hurling during the 2008 national hurling championship, this was the first time they reached the final in 45 years of the 125 year history of the Waterford GAA. And in the UK, it is often played at the City of Manchester Stadium at half-time and full-time of Man City's home games due to the lyrics, "Just a City boy" and "Some were born to sing the Blues".[citation needed]

The Detroit Lions would play "Can't Tame the Lion" from Trial by Fire before all home games.[citation needed]

Journey is an Americanrock/heavy metalband from San Francisco, formed in 1973. They are known for their hit songs like"Don't Stop Believin", "Anyway You Want It", "Open Arms", "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' " and "Faithfully". Some of the members used to be members of the band Santana. The band is very successful, having sold 75 million albums.